the flag waves, the flag of Christ waves

Last Sunday evening in church, I found myself gazing at the flags behind the pulpit. I was still listening to the sermon, but also looking at the American flag and the Christian flag. I made a mental note to look up the history of the Christian flag. (Then, I turned my full attention back to the teaching of God’s Word.)

As a child, I attended Vacation Bible School (VBS), for one week each summer (at my church). I fondly recall the games “Red Rover” and “Kick Ball”. At snack time, we always had the little Nabisco butter cookies, which were round cookies with scalloped edges and a hole in the middle which you could stick your finger in. It was fun wearing the “rings” on our fingers. Oh, and for drink, we had a choice between grape and strawberry Kool-Aid. Also, we would march into the sanctuary, say the pledge to the American flag and to the Christian flag. I vaguely remember singing songs. Oops, I digressed, back to the flag.

So, I did a little research, and learned that the idea of a Christian flag was conceived in Coney Island, New York, on Sunday, September 26, 1897. It was Charles C Overton who had the inspiration, and on that day, the Christian flag was born.

The white on the flag represents purity and peace. The blue stands for faithfulness, truth, and sincerity. Red is the color of sacrifice, the blood shed by Christ on Calvary, and represented by the cross. In addition to the symbolism of the Christian flag, I also found its pledge:
“I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag, and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands; One Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe.”

The song, “"The Christian Flag", was written in 1903 by Fanny Crosby. The words for this song may be found at:http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/h/chriflag.htm